WiR 2: Sunrise :)
by the pixlexic sloth
Summary: The sunrise -and watching it with his best friend every day- used to mean so much to Wreck-It Ralph...but now that Vanellope isn't right by his side anymore, how could the wrecker ever view the sunrise the same way again?


**(A/N: This is just an one-shot that takes place the first morning after Vanellope goes to live in the internet. Its Ralph's reaction to an abandoned cherish tradition both he and Vanellope once shared.**

**Hope all enjoy! :D)**

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Scratching the back of his neck with two oversized fingers on one hand, Wreck-It Ralph absentmindedly balled up the fingers on his other hand. Depsite no real valid reason to be anxious, the pit of his gut was still doing that uneasy somersault thing it had done all night- making him feel a little bit sick to his stomach.

All at once, the wrecker abandoned scratching his neck and balling up his fingers -finding such tics did nothing to calm his nerves- and drummed all of his fingers on the sides of his legs for a moment. The hollow, muted noise they created instantly irritated him, though- so he decided to trap his large drumsticks of fingers underneath his thighs instead. The metal bench he was sitting on seemed as hard and cold as a rock, anyways- so sitting on his ginormous hands as cushions provided somewhat relief.

Within seconds, though, Ralph's admittedly heavy 643-pound weight made his poor hands go numb fast- and that made sitting on them all the more awkward and uncomfortable. Sighing exasperatedly, he quickly pulled them from underneath his legs, shook the numbing feeling away- and immediately resumed his fidgeting with his meaty fingers.

Finally unable to take the hard, cold bench anymore -or the annoying tics he did with his hands and fingers when he was unsettlingly nervous- Ralph abruptly stood up and began pacing the floor before the bench. His larger-than-life feet thundering as he walked back and forth, the disgruntled man tried to force himself not to do anything with his hands for a solid mintue...

But even a moment proved to be too long for him to suppress his fiddling. Without realizing it, he began to subconsciously twist his hands around each other over and over again before his stomach- not even noticing he was doing so. He couldn't suppress it, couldn't control it...

Wreck-It Ralph was simply _dreading_ what he knew was going to happen any minute now.

As he paced back and forth, that tightness in his chest seemed to increase with each step- making those fierce somersaults in his stomach get more strenuous and tiring by the second. The restrictiveness made his fingers all the more jumpy, too, they themselves desperate for any self-soothing...

But as bad as they all were, the tighteness in his chest, the flip-flopping stomach, and even his annoying tics were _nothing_ compared to the all-out war that was waging in Ralph's mind.

The poor wrecker's mind was flooded with so many thoughts and memories and _emotions_, it made it hard for him to even walk in a straight line. The painful notions filling his brain were horrible enough- but each one brought its inflamed weaponry of memories along with it, making Ralph even more inflicted.

Some -if not most- of the memories being tossed around in his mind weren't so bitter, ones that Ralph admittedly found pleasant and calming to briefly remember...

But they were often just chased away by other, more sour memories, ones that Ralph felt could _kill_ him if he dwelled on them too much. They were ones he wished more than anything would just be permanently forgotten...well knowing they never would.

But the damaging _emotions_ that came plowing through Ralph's poor mind and heart were the ones that were leaving the most battle scars. They were the ones making him fidget, making his stomach jump around. They were that made the brawny, tough man like Wreck-it Ralph want to dive for cover under the rock-hard bench.

The emotions flat-out _wrecking_ Ralph was the very reason he was dreading the upcoming moment. A moment he ironically used to cherish so much...

Desperate for a distraction from the war waging in his mind, the wrecker suddenly paused in his pacing and regrettably looked around the station- only to find it was eerily quiet, still, and bear for an early Monday morning. He could only see a few other characters floating around, each of them begrudgingly rushing to get back to their mundane lives and games...

Which Ralph found beyond unsettling. The weekend had ended, sure, and the arcade was about to open- but the station never seemed _this_ empty before...

Or, maybe more accurately, never _felt_ this empty before...

The pounding his chest abruptly stopping, a cold, startling chill ran up the wrecker's back. All at once, he realized what the emptiness of the station meant, what the still and quietness of his beloved home indicated- making him feel all the more raw inside.

The arcade would open any minute now, Ralph undoubtedly knew. Mr.Litwak would walk on into the arcade walls- and once he switched the closed sign to open, everyones' day in the arcade games would get started...

But not before it happened, the wrecker knew even more; in fact, _nothing_ could take place until it came. And, worse yet, it was certainly coming; nothing -nor no one- could ever stop it from taking place.

As unbearably as it was going to be, it was going to come just shortly now. Any second, any moment now...

And at that the mere dreaded thought, Ralph instantly knew he was a fool for ever thinking he could handle that moment.

In almost panic, the wrecker instantly began shaking, his chest heaving as he kept his back to the large station windows. His stomach ached like never before, his heart pounding as loud as a drum- and he could forget about his fidgeting. His nervous fingers seemed to have a mind of their own suddenly, desperately seeking relief that was forever left unsafitfied as they rubbed and balled up and picked at a huge fingernail over and over again.

In that split moment, Ralph wanted nothing more than to run. To hide. To coward like a kitten behind the bench and never leave the safety of that spot...

He wanted to just forget the whole thing- abandon his stupid idea and even stupider plan. Just fidget and stumble and coward back home into Fix-It Felix Jr in time...

Just pause the clock- permanently, if only he could- so that time could never continue, never go on...so that the inevitable would never come...

But all Ralph could do was helplessly stand frozen still, unable to move. That dreaded war in his mind went up a notch, paralyzing him in his place- and leaving him more numb than he could've ever imagined he would feel in this moment.

All at once, the wrecker hestiantly looked down at the ground before him- seeing his tall, fat shadow starting to appear...but he didn't dare turn around then.

Gulping down a knot forming in his throat, he eyed down at one of his finally idled hands- to see the back of it was starting to glow an eliminating orange...but the man forced himself not to turn around.

Desperately trying to completely shut it out all from happening, Ralph squeezed his eyes tightly shut- but he couldn't deny the sensation of the back of his neck tingling... that overwhelmingly familiar feeling of warmth overtaking his skin...

And as much as he tried to force himself not to, as much as he fought not to... Ralph couldn't help but turn around then- and saw that it was no point in trying to ignore it anymore.

The ginormous windows in Game Central Station were already so bright it was painful; the ground in the path of the window was already lit up; the warming oranges and yellows already steadily leaking and spreading on the station's floor...

And Wreck-It Ralph couldn't deny or avoid it any longer.

The sun -the dreaded, horrific, yet _beautiful_ sun- was now coming up, begining to shine its' beauty into the stations walls...

Oddly causing the wrecker it was illuminating on to suddenly grow weak at the knees.

In a strange, overwhelming trance, Ralph just stared through the huge windows for a moment, unable to take in was finally happening right before his blury eyes. No longer able stand any longer, he melted slightly back onto the bench- this time paying the uncomfortableness it brought no mind.

His mind's war had abruptly paused- eerily silenced before one thought came charging through...

One, solo thought he'd tried so had not to dwell on all night- but now there was no way not to dwell on it, not to allow it to wreck down the walls he was holding back every emotions with.

Because for the first time since they decided to enjoy it togther... for the first time since they lived their lives so closely interwoven together, but now so far apart...

It occured to Ralph that for the first since they'd become best friends, Vanellope von Schweetz wasn't by his side to enjoy the sunrise with him.

His throat closing unbearably tight at such a profound yet painful thought, the wrecker instantly winced in his place. He could do nothing about the emotions and memories swallowing him now- other than to just let them eat him alive.

Watching the sunrise had been what he and Vanellope did every single day before heading their separate ways to go to work in their games. It had become an odd sort of tradition the two shared, a strange kind of unspoken yet important habit of theirs.

No matter how much fun they'd been having that night, no matter how busy they'd be...no matter what was going on in their small world, Ralph and Vanellope would _always_ stop whatever it was they were doing and simply enjoy the sunrise together. Every single day, for the past six years, the two of them would be found running into the station together right as the outside sun leaked into the station, slowly sit down on a not-so-rock-hard bench...and watch the sunrise -_their_ sunrise- came shining inside.

Ironically, despite it being so important to him that they'd see their sunrise together each morning, Ralph couldn't even recall why he and Vanellope had began such a tradition. It just somehow started the morning after they'd met- although the wrecker knew it must've been Vanelope's idea; she always seemed to have the best ideas...She was the little genius in their friendship, after all...

Regardless of the real reason or story behind it, for 6 odd years without fail, Ralph and his best friend had watched the sunrise together.

Every single day. A daily habit both loved- and looked forward to every morning...

Blinking slightly at the burning windows, now even more inflamed by the rays of the sun, the wrecker felt himself swallow the now unbearable knot in his throat- growing more disheartened and distraught by the second.

All at once, Ralph's mind unwillingly flashed with images of his best friend, how she got so excited to see the sunrise everyday...how she much she enjoyed it, just like he did...

Vanellope always said she strangely admired how far-spreading the suns rays were. How they could reach practically every part of the station, eventally shining its brilliant light on every nook and cranny in the entire station...

The child would comment that she liked how powerful the sunrise was- how it could practically wake everyone up, making them wipe the sleep from their eyes and enliven them to get ready for work. She always said that she liked how the sun gave her renewed energy- as if the bubbly girl needed more energy than she already had...

The little girl would always smile when she'd turn around and saw the short shape of her shadow created by the sunrise- a shadow that she always made minic her crazy dancing and glitching...and one that she wished never went away until the next morning. To Vanellope, her shadow was a symbol of what was to come- fun and laugher and craziness around each bend, here one moment, gone the next...

And as it slowly disappeared, Vanellope would always, _always_ waved her shadow good-bye until the next morning, smiling cheekily as it undoubtedly waved back at her.

But although she'd never say it outloud, the hiddenly sentimental child's favorite thing about the sunrise was the fact that after so many years of being confined to her game, she finally got to enjoy the feeling of a sun every day. A _real_ sun, in fact...

A real sunrise that was as bright and happy as she usually felt. A real sun that brought a new adventure...

The sun coming up was the signal for the start of a brand new day to Vanellope, one with many new exploring and fun to be had...

Always changing. Just undoubtedly crazy and exciting and different- every single day.

But as strange as it was, Ralph had never felt most of the same feelings towards the sunrise that Vanellope did. In fact, he'd always felt much, _much_ differently towards the sunrise and their little tradition- and honestly, never really understood why Vandllope felt the way she did towards their sunrise.

To Ralph, the morning rays had the opposite effect on him than they did on Vanellope. They didn't excite or energize him. They didn't 'enliven' him- and they sure never make him wipe the sleep from his tired eyes.

Instead, the sunrise always proved to _calm_ him, soothing him straight to his code. He appreciated how it was so warm to his skin, so refreshing. How it brought him unrelenting peace and tranquility...

The wrecker loved how slow the sun came up, giving everyone a chance to admire it, to take its' warmth in. He always said that the sun seemed to have a healing effect on him, its' rays bringing a strange comfort him to his code.

He'd, too, smile when he'd turn and look down at his shadow- but not for the same reasons Vanellope had. To Ralph, his shadow was like what was behind him, like his haunting past- just a mere dark shade of his life that was lurking behind him...but just like a shadow, his past would suddenly disappear, never sticking around long...

Especially since he had Vanellope by his side...

And, although he'd never say it outloud, the hiddenly sentimental wrecker simply loved the fact that after so many years of being friendless and alone, he finally got to enjoy the feeling of the sunrise with a friend. A _best_ friend, in fact...

A best friend he'd get to hang out with, laugh with, talk with- and just be close to. A best friend who understood him and his haunting shadows...and never judged him for them...

And the sunrise always brought another perfect day of that, a signal to Ralph that just another great day with Vanellope had just begun- hopefully the same as the one before it.

_Never_ changing. Just consistingly great and perfect and steady...every single day...

And for a second of blinking up at the beautiful sunrise leaking into the station, allowing the warmth to fill him inside, Ralph briefly -just briefly- was reminded of everything single one of those cherished reasons of why he loved the sunrise so much. He even closed his eyes for a moment and sighed, a familiar peace and comfort collecting inside him.

Without thinking, the overwhelmingly happy wrecker quickly turned to share a smile with his best friend, who was normally seen cuddled close to his side about then- ready to share in another amazing day...

But the man was instantly reminded said best friend wasn't there.

For the first time since they met, Vanellope wasn't laughing at the sight of her dancing shadow, wasn't glitching around in yet more renewed energy...

And as much as it hurt him to acknowledge it, Ralph realized that Vanellope probably would never be found taking in the sunrise with him again.

Feeling himself delate like a balloon, the emotional man wilted slightly deeper into the bench. His peace was fleeing him fast- and was threatening to never return as another sickening thought occured to him.

Things were different now- _very_ different now. Vanellope was living in the internet now, living her new, exciting new life. Ralph was still in arcade, living his old, consistent life...

Making their once shared precious tradition of sunrise watching gone forever...

And now, albeit he'd never speak it out loud, Ralph suddenly felt very differently about the sunrise.

Suddenly not _their_ sunrise anymore...

Abruptly standing up, the man's fingers balled up- but not from fidgeting this time, however. His eyebrows hunched down in anger and sadness, Ralph snarled slightly under his breath, seriously alarmed by the rare emotion of bitter hate filling inside him.

He couldn't help but reject the sun's offered warmth now, distaining its' comforting rays- something he once loved so much. He was now embittered, disgusted, _hurt_ at how the sunrise could just continue to shine down on him. Just make him feel overly sentimental, nostalgic...just make that thing in chest pound that much harder in pain...

How it could just be yet another reminder that the wrecker was alone...completely and utterly alone...

Sighing shakily, the wrecker slightly melted back onto the bench. His heart in his throat, he reached up and ran a set of fingers through his messy brown hair- quickly finding that did nothing to chase his emptiness away.

Beyond broken, Ralph used the other set of fingers to rub against the back of his neck, doing his best not to fall apart right then and there...

When suddenly his fingers brushed against the ribbon of the cookie medal resting against his neck.

His watery eyes widening, Ralph's fingers jumped back in alarm- before trembling as they slowly came to rest back upon the ribbon. The man then couldn't help but trace the ribbon down to the bottom of the necklace- where his numb fingers found his precious half-heart medal. There it was just laying quietly against his chest, somehow undisturbed despite the pounding taking place just underneath it.

His eyebrows hunched in confusion of the strange mixture of emotions he was now feeling, Ralph simply stared down at the medal, gently cradling it in his hand...

And suddenly he felt a little less alone, a little less embittered...and, albeit ironically, a little less brokenhearted.

Subconsciously taking a peek the sunrise, Ralph felt himself slowly blink his eyes close- although surprisingly not trying to block out the sunlight. His hand never once leaving the cookie medal, he gulped the knot in his throat down...

And finally felt a small smile -the first real smile he'd had all night- tug once again at his month.

Things were indeed different, he realized- and yet things were somehow the exact same as well.

Vanellope _was_ out living a new, exciting life- but she was still forever going to be Ralph's best friend. Ralph _was_ still living his old, consistent life- but he was still forever Vanellope's best friend...

And depsite their cherished tradition being gone, despite living two completely different lives...depsite how many sunrises and sunsets may come and go between them...

Ralph and Vanellope would never change what they meant to the other.

They would simply always, _always_ be same best friends they'd been since they first met.

Unsure of that mere thought was the source of his new-found warmth bubbling inside or if it was that of the sunrise itself, the wrecker sighed again- this time in renewed peace.

Filling with a strong sense of happiness again, he blinked tearfully back up at the sunrise- silently thanking it for its' remaining warmth, its' comfort, its' healing effect on him...

And found some odd new reasons to love the sunrise.

Suddenly shielding the rays with a more-than-large-enough hand, Ralph chuckled when he realized that for the first time he truly admired just how far-reaching said rays were. He was shocked as he saw how they really _did_ reached every single part of the station now, shining on every nook and cranny of arcade- sharing its' warming effect with the few random characters wandering around.

Laying his head back, the wrecker let the sun calm him, soothe him straight to his code- and yet he allowed it to strangely enliven him as well, fill him with an odd new energy he'd never felt before...

And allowed it to stabilized him- like no matter what happened, that sunrise was _always_ going to be there in the morning for him without fail.

And even if Vanellope wasn't by his side, even if she possibly would never get to enjoy it with him quite like they once did, Ralph could count on the sunrise _always_ coming, that it was inevitable going to shine down on him...

And he was shocked to find that that was perfectly ok.

The sunrise -the beautiful sunrise he knew- brought a new day, every single day...

Always and yet never changing. Just undoubtedly, consistingly crazy, just perfectly exciting, just steadily, greatly, amazingly different...

And just another reminder of the great, forever friendship the wrecker had with a certain little girl living not-so-far away now.

Inhaling all over again, Ralph found he liked his new reasons why he loved the sunrise...forever his and Vanellope's sunrise...

And found those new reasons calmed his somersaulting stomach. Ended the bitter war once battling so badly in his mind. Swallowing and drowning each negative thought, memory, and _emotion_ forever in his code...

Though, it couldn't seem to stop his hand from fidgeting- this time done more out of happiness rather than nervousness.

Finally pulling his eyes from off the sunrise, Ralph nostalgically smiled as he fiddled absentmindedly with his half of the medal, loving its' warm, crumbling sensation underneath his fingers... although he couldn't help but wonder what the other half's owner was doing right about then.

Maybe Ralph would decide to give his best friend a call in the next few days- after they both got adjusted to their newish/oldish lives without the other being there. Maybe he could even make it a plan to call Vanellope when the sunrise was coming up in the station, so that they could watch it through their Buzziephones together...so their cherished tradition could live on...

But then again, Ralph was suprised to find that simply enjoying the alway-there sunrise by _himself_ was pretty darn nice, too. Especially with all his new reasons to love it every single morning.

And as he finally wiped his unshed tears away and pulled himself up to energetically head off to his game for the day, Ralph couldn't help it.

He waved his shadow good-bye until the next morning- undoubtingly smiling as it did the same right back at him.

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**(A/N: I may end up writing Vanellope's side of the one-shot, idk yet lol)**


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